Dr. Robert Joseph Carnathan, MD

Born September 26, 1935, to the late Robert Carnathan and Mary (Hughes) in Paterson, New Jersey. Bob Carnathan attended Eastside High School as a member of the graduating class of 1954, lettering in the school’s band. His lifelong passion inscribed above his photo in the senior yearbook “to be an expert magician.”

That fall, Bob enrolled at Georgetown University earning a BS in Biology on his way to the Georgetown University School of Medicine, earning his MD in 1962. Dr. Carnathan completed his medical internship at SUNY Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, New York before commissioning into the United States Army where he was ordered to active service in 1963 in the Medical Corps. Capt. Carnathan served his nation as a medical officer within the Engineer Reactors Group in the Army Nuclear Power Program.

Upon his honorable discharge in 1965, Bob continued his medical studies at Temple University’s Skin and Cancer Hospital as a resident and chief resident before being named a Diplomate of the American Board of Dermatology in 1969 while working for Temple University and Episcopal Hospital in Philadelphia.

Returning that year to Washington, DC, Dr. Carnathan entered private practice where he remained, at various Washington locations until his retirement in 2016. Concurrently in 1969, he accepted a teaching appointment at Georgetown University Medical School and joined the staff of many area hospitals including Doctors, Suburban, and Sibley where he remained on staff throughout his career. Bob held a consultant appointment with the Medical Division of the United States Department of State and was a regular presence at the Walter Reed Army Hospital and National Naval Medical Center.

Bob served a term as president of the Washington Dermatological Society in 1978 after serving as the Secretary-Treasurer during his previous term. A member of the Georgetown Clinical Society, he earned Doctor of the Year in 2007 as well as the John Carroll Society Pro Bono Health Care Award the same year for his service to the Washington Archdiocese and the Mercy Clinic. Bob was featured nationally as a founding member of one of the longest running journal clubs in dermatology. The published accolades are endless, but his peers and students simply referred to him as “a legend.”

Along the way, Bob met a young Maureen O’Connor on a blind date in Washington where he impressed her by folding a napkin into Mickey Mouse ears and later driving through a streetcar tunnel downtown. They married on May 6, 1961, at Blessed Sacrament in Northwest. In 1976, Bob and Maureen moved to their home of 50 years on Savannah Drive in Bethesda where they raised their children and welcomed their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Maureen predeceased Bob in 2023, just shy of their 62nd wedding anniversary.

Bob is survived by his sister Kathleen (Harold Nightingale) and his children: Margaret, Robert “Bobby”, Michael (Nora), and Peter (Molly), his grandchildren: Andrew, Connor, Ryann, Devin, Quinn, Griffin, Michelle, Michael “Mikey,” Christopher (Maddie), Grace, Brendan, Declan, Ella, and two great-grandchildren Liam and Jacqueline. Bob and Maureen were predeceased by their son John.

In September 1952, a 17-year-old Bob joined the International Brotherhood of Magicians where he remained a member for the rest of his life. Bob retained every copy of their monthly periodical The Linking Ring from September, 1952 onward in addition to volumes of other magic literature. He loved to perform close up magic and always had a trick or a deck of cards nearby to entertain. Bob performed at many shows during his military service, privately, and as a member of IBM Ring 50, The National Capital Ring. He was a beloved master of ceremonies for their gala public shows at Ring 50’s Magi-Whirl convention. His loyal tenure earned him a place in the Brotherhood’s Order of Merlin Excelsior.

The funeral mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church – located at: 9200 Kentsdale Drive – Potomac, Maryland – 20854 – on Thursday April 16, 2026, at 11:00 am. Military honors will be rendered, and a broken wand ceremony will occur separately afterward. A private family internment will take place on Friday April 17, 2026.

Bob’s wisdom, wit, and wizardry will be missed.

Bob donated his magicians’ fees to the Mercy Health Clinic where contributions in his name in lieu of flowers are appreciated.